Treasure Coast chefs open their recipe files to share
some of their favorite holiday dishes
FROM THE DEEP SOUTH
Anna and Vern Toulson make a habit of being in the
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kitchen together. The couple’s specialty is making
homemade pasta. “Vern makes the pasta and I take
care of the filling,” Anna says. But, when it comes to making
the holiday meal, the Toulsons stick to traditional fare. “For
the most part, we fix what my mother always served at
Christmas,” says Anna. “Mom was from Quincy, Florida, and
we always had squash and sweet potatoes with the turkey.”
One day, Anna wanted to liven things up a bit and decided
that sweet potatoes spiked with bourbon might make things
interesting. Now, she is setting the family tradition with
Bourbon Sweet Potatoes. Vern is the taste-tester and likes the
new addition. As Anna laments, “My mother would have
never added bourbon, but we like it.”
Ann and Vern Toulson enjoy working in the kitchen together.
BOURBON SWEET POTATOES
4 lbs. of sweet potatoes, cooked, peeled
and mashed.
1⁄2 c. butter, melted.
1⁄3 c. packed light brown sugar.
1⁄3 c. orange juice.
1⁄4 c. Jack Daniels Bourbon.
3⁄4 tsp. salt.
1⁄2 tsp. ground allspice.
Combine all ingredients and spoon into greased 21⁄2
quart casserole dish.
Sprinkle with pecan crumble (see below). Bake at
350°F for 45 minutes or until lightly browned and
bubbly around edges.
Pecan Crumble:
1 c. firmly packed light brown sugar.
1 c. chopped pecans.
1⁄2 c. all-purpose flour.
1⁄3 c. cold butter.
Combine brown sugar, pecans and flour. Cut in butter
with a pastry blender until crumbly. This dish yields 13
servings.
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